Synonyms

deteriorating

American

[dih-teer-ee-uh-rey-ting] / dɪˈtɪər i əˌreɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

becoming worse or inferior in condition, character, quality, value, etc..

A deteriorating house, whatever the cause, will have an adverse effect on your real estate investment.
Officials have warned of a deteriorating security situation in the disputed territory.
disintegrating or wearing away.

If what you have underneath is fabric or fiberglass, I’d be concerned that deteriorating paint is letting ultraviolet rays do their worst to your aircraft.

Other Word Forms

undeteriorating adjective

Etymology

Origin of deteriorating

First recorded in 1680–90; deteriorate ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The collective melodrama plays out against a background of deteriorating social conditions and political unrest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

On Wednesday, the US State Department said in a notice it was authorising "non-emergency US government employees" to leave Abuja "due to the deteriorating security situation".

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The New York Times interviewed doctors there and reported last week that “rapidly deteriorating conditions at hospitals and clinics across Cuba were causing deaths that would otherwise be preventable.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Although not spelt out precisely during the interview, the implication of Block’s trade rationale is that higher unemployment means economic weakness and this would in turn lead to deteriorating corporate financials.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

The asphalt on one court was old and deteriorating, with multiple potholes and fissures.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023